Colombian Vibes

It’s been two weeks since we returned from Colombia and I’m finally fit enough again to sit down and shortly reflect upon what happened overseas. Having never spent many thoughts on Colombia before I met my favourite partner in crime, going there turned out to be one of the biggest adventures in my life (at least so far!). After two days of travelling, Bogota (our first stop), was of course not what we were actually aiming for, but it offered a relatively convenient and easy starting point as it can be pretty much compared to most of larger cities in the South of Europe regarding its organisational structures (Of course it is just much bigger!). After two nights in Bogota, the real adventure finally started and we continued our journey to Bahia Solano from where we’d eventually go to El Valle, a curious little village mainly depending on fishing. This was actually where we first experienced the breathtaking beauty of the Colombian countryside as the harsh and strong waves of the Pacific Ocean left us at loss of words. After tons of rain, every sunset would be a Godly spectacle of astonishing magnitude and apart from a landscape determined by thick jungle forests and strong rivers (as well as the beloved sea!) the multitude of miraculously colourful birds just blew our mind!

After some days in El Valle, we somehow managed to get back to Medellin (as our flight was cancelled at short notice due to the Pope visiting the city). Again, city vibes aren’t entirely my thing, but we managed to go to Guatapé for one of the days we spent in Medelling and to be honest the city itself is somewhat cool as it is surrounded by mountains and offers a wide range of culturally interesting sights.

Nevertheless, going to the Caribbean was a real highlight for me. Visiting the touristy city of Cartagena was relatively nice for two days and we continued to Santa Marta, where we managed to go to the lovely village of Minca. There, we actually did some hiking again, walking through the thick jungle of the Colombian countryside and enjoying the fresh air surrounding some waterfalls. Our final highlight before continuing our journey back home was going to Tayrona National Park. The park covers an enormous area and if we’d had the possibility to stay there longer, we’d done it. Seeing monkeys in their natural habitat for the first time and listening to the soft shouts of wild owls (as well as actually seeing one – no foto) was something I’d been longing to experience for a long time. The only downside is the amount of tourists that run through the areal everyday. It is still some kind of a mystery to me, how the commonsense of some folks doesn’t tell them to be more calm and quiet in an area where wild animals are supposed to be…

All in all, Colombia won my heart with all its various degrees of surprises and a landscape that ranges from the soft beaches of the Caribbean seaside to the harsh solitude of over 3,000 metre high mountains.